If you step inside the room,
you will see Hindu Gods
such as Krishna and Ganesh.
The owner of SACHI HOME says
it’s a high energetic place.
You can feel it if you enter the room.
It’s quiet and sacred place.
It’s a good place to pray and meditate.
You can easily concentrate.

“Pooja room in SACHI HOME @Sujata village in India”
Everyday morning and evening,
one of the staffs do poojas (Hindu worship).
Before pooja,
you have to take shower from top to toe of your body
and you cannot eat before pooja.
It’s very important rules and Indians keep these strictly.
On Thursdays, special pooja is added to every day pooja.
Aromatic wood chip and ghee are mixed in a bowl
and preparation of the pooja started.
Ghee is refined butter and thought to be sacred.

In Sujata village,
there’s a community
center for women
called “Sujata Ashram”.
In the Ashram, village women can learn
skills
to generate money such as sawing. Former article about the Ashram is here. The other day,
we made Japanese traditional
reusable shopping bag
called Azuma-bukuro with girls
who come to learn how to
saw to the Ashram!

“Making Azuma-bukuro with Indian girls at
Sujata Ashram” Why Japanese eco-bag Azuma-bukuro…? Because… We want to change the situation of the
village full of garbage everywhere.

“The current situation of garbage of Sujata
village” There’s NO collecting system of garbage, without segregation, garbage from houses are thrown away to the street or
vacant land… We hope the village to regain the beauty by
reducing garbage.

“Beautiful agricultural field of Sujata village” So, we start from what we can do. That’s why we introduced Japanese Azuma-bukuro as a shopping bag to reduce plastic bags. To reduce plastic garbage which is not
biodegradable and harmful is on…

You may feel like as if you are time-traveling to several hundreds of years ago.

“Rice planting scene from Sujata temple”

Hindu teachings are connected deeply to
their lives,

“Girls praying at Shiva temple” If you walk in the village, you’ll meet
buffalos marching.

“Buffalos are moving on the main street of the
village”

You will see children enjoy playing in the
water,

“Children are jumping into the small pond!”

At the same place, you’ll see a man
bathing.

“Village men often bath outside, anywhere.”

You’ll meet someone carrying load in an
acrobatic way.

“A woman carrying long logs on her head.”

“A man carrying something on his head while
riding a bicycle!”
Sujata village itself is quite an ADVENTURE
for you
who are living life without spice in it. But the village has more than that. The name of the village comes from lady
Sujata, who offered milk rice to Siddhartha (future Buddha) who was close…

Raining Severe hotness more than 40℃ in daytime is finished and now we have heavy rainfall several times
a day in Sujata village. It’s really a rainy season!

“Dried up Niranjana river almost all the
time of year now has a flow of water.You can see Mahabodhi temple registered as
a World Heritage Site from opposite side of the river in Sujata village.”

Between the rainfall of the daytime, clouds
cover the sky and it is cool as I wear long-sleeved shirt. It’s hard to believe that we were experiencing severe hot days until recently.

“Niranjana river and the sky, beginning of July. These blue sky and white clouds are gone now. It was only one month ago…”
Rainy and cloudy days are going to last
for
the time being,
but there’s a place where always sunny
and colorful flowers
bloom in Sujata village. The place is… Sujata Ashram! The place is for encouraging village women to be independent. Here, the village ladies have an opportunity to get skills of sawing
or other skills. Women from Sujata village…

I’m yokko. I like to walk early in the morning
before it gets hot outside.
In Sujata village,
people say “Namaste~”
each other
when they meet on a street
even to the person you don’t know.
By the way… I share what happens if you walk in the
village. 🌿What is your name? Many locals ask to me and they also tell their
names. Thank you very much, but I cannot remember unfamiliar
Indian names…
(View of Sujata village)

🌿Do you have any brothers or sisters? Many locals ask me this, but I don’t get
the point why people want to know... 🌿Shaking Hands Children put out their hands for me to shake
hands. I feel like somewhat I’m a celebrity.

🌿Silver tooth

I have a silver tooth by dental treatment. When I smile, the tooth can be seen easily. Locals are very interested in
silver tooth and many questions I get!!!

Just walking in the village brings me to this
kind of small communication with locals. I love this Sujata village. From yokko

Nice to meet you!
I’m yokko staying at SACHI HOME
in Sujata village for a while.
One day I said,
“I want to make chapati for lunch!!!”.
Chapati is common Indian thin bread.
It goes with vegetable or bean curry same as rice.
I shall ask someone how to cook.
Oh, how good timing!
Parween-ji comes!
As I asked,
he started mixing whole wheat flower
without any word.
It’s very simple to make chapati. Water + Whole wheat flower ↓Knead dough↓Hold together the dough↓Roll out the dough↓Bake

A small frying pan is used to bake with high heat. Wow, brilliant!!
The chef left again without a word.
Simple and tasty.
I could feel the good taste of wheat flower
so that I even could eat without curry.

Smells so good!!!
April is harvesting time of wheat in Sujata village.
The village has one milling machine.
So, the people go there to make wheat flower
from the wheat which they harvest from their field.

Morning starts very early in India.
It is 3:30 and still dark. Who wake up earliest in the morning?
They are … wild birds
which said to exist more than 40 kinds in Sujata village.
There you are…!
Found you!!

Beautiful songs of wild birds wake me up.
It’s just 4 o’clock.
I can hear the sound of Mantra.
Mantra is a sound
that is believed to have a special spiritual power
from the universe
and sang from ancient times.
Would you like to hear the wild birds singing
and sound of Mantra…?
Please close your eyes and enjoy the sound.

At the same time, babas(elder men) get up
and come out to outside wells for washing faces.
Their new day starts.
The leaves of mango trees are shining
and very beautiful under the moonlight.
I regard the leaves are gift or present
which brings good luck from God to the Indian people
who live tough and strong lives.

How is today going to be? What shall I do today?
You can never have the same day as today.
At any time, any moment,
you are given opportunity…